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Bourdieu, language and literacy

Bourdieu, language and literacy
Bourdieu, language and literacy
This essay reviews two books on the work of the French social theorist Pierre Bourdieu with a special focus on issues of language, education and literacy. The essay sketches out Bourdieu's main theoretical ideas with respect to language, and raises a number of issues on classroom language and academic discourse. Bourdieu's approach is considered with respect to phenomenology, Vygotsky and cognitive theory, and areas of potential integration are explored. Various examples from the two books under review are used as exemplification of the issues raised. Finally, key aspects of methodology are addressed; namely, constructing the research object; field analysis; and participant objectivation. Emergent themes are related to issues in literacy and education. The essay is an appraisal of the potential of a Bourdieusian application to language research and sets out key characteristics of such an undertaking.
438-448
Grenfell, Michael
3f1954ca-ee82-46df-bd31-0b6c9c390ab1
Grenfell, Michael
3f1954ca-ee82-46df-bd31-0b6c9c390ab1

Grenfell, Michael (2009) Bourdieu, language and literacy. Reading Research Quarterly, 44 (4), 438-448. (doi:10.1598/RRQ.44.4.8).

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Abstract

This essay reviews two books on the work of the French social theorist Pierre Bourdieu with a special focus on issues of language, education and literacy. The essay sketches out Bourdieu's main theoretical ideas with respect to language, and raises a number of issues on classroom language and academic discourse. Bourdieu's approach is considered with respect to phenomenology, Vygotsky and cognitive theory, and areas of potential integration are explored. Various examples from the two books under review are used as exemplification of the issues raised. Finally, key aspects of methodology are addressed; namely, constructing the research object; field analysis; and participant objectivation. Emergent themes are related to issues in literacy and education. The essay is an appraisal of the potential of a Bourdieusian application to language research and sets out key characteristics of such an undertaking.

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Published date: October 2009

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Local EPrints ID: 421091
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/421091
PURE UUID: 8ecbb976-3ba5-425e-8666-1bc0e62bbfbd
ORCID for Michael Grenfell: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2038-0317

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Date deposited: 22 May 2018 16:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 02:41

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Author: Michael Grenfell ORCID iD

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